The Lexus is known for the fanatically high levels of fastidiousness used in its production. The car was developed for five years, but was almost completely scrapped and re-designed at the last minute because the engineers wanted to try a carbon fiber body instead of an aluminum one. Toyota wanted perfection and wouldn’t stop until it was achieved.

While the LFA strives for perfection in the current generation, the i8 seeks supremacy in the next. A plug-in hybrid, the i8 is powered by a twin-turbo, 231-hp three-cylinder, but with an extra 131-hp boost from an electric motor. That’s a combined 362 hp, which is good for a 0 to 60 time of 4.4 seconds and a staggering 134.5 mpge, if you factor in the all-electric driving range.

In a recent Automotive News interview, Lexus International vice president Mark Templin discussed NX sales projections and the expected take-rate between the turbo & hybrid powertrains:

Although Lexus gave no official fuel economy estimates for the hybrid, a source said it should get in the 34-36 mpg range in combined city and highway driving.

The turbo drivetrain likely will account for 80 to 85 percent of U.S. sales, Lexus International Executive Vice President Mark Templin predicted. “In the U.S., they want fun to drive, a little more power,” he said.

Templin said Lexus tuned the turbo to deliver smooth acceleration, rather than jerky power thrusts.

“I think ours is going to be more refined than the rest of them in the market,” he said. “Ours is more linear, smoother. Much more luxurylike.”